Logan Square is becoming one of the hottest restaurant/food neighborhoods in the city.
Longman & Eagle: Check out this excellent gastropub.Opened in 2010, it has a fun atmosphere, with outdoor seating and a hotel above the restaurant with six rooms. This is the place to go if you want a non-traditional location with great food downstairs. It is a farm-to-table resturant with a focus on locally sourced ingredients. It was a very creative lunch, dinner and weekend brunch menu. I went back for lunch in November 2024 after several years, and enjoyed the pears and burrata salad, hand made focaccia and fries. Everything was so fresh! 2657 N. Kedzie.
Lula Cafe: A leading Chicago farm-to-table restaurant, since 1999, Lula Cafe is the perfect pace for brunch and lunch after wondering through the Sunday Farmer’s Market during the summer months. But during the week, it is less crowded. They feature the freshest local ingredients. They are also open for dinner with a creative menu. Reservations are available for dinner, unlike brunch/lunch. They have both indoor and outdoor seating.
It has been featured on NPR and in The New York Times, Food & Wine Magazine and Bon Appetit. After going for the first time, I was back for a tasting event and loved every dish. So fresh and wonderful! In 2019, 2020 and 2022, Chef Jason Hammel was named a James Beard Award Finalist for Best Chef Great Lakes. But in 2024 they won the James Beard Award for Best Hospitality. After winning the award and seeing Jason speak at an event in Chicago, I made a point to go back for brunch. I was glad to get a table with a minimal wait. I loved the smoked trout scramble made with scrambled eggs, arugula, dill and cream cheese along with house potatoes and toast. The blue cornmeal teacake topped with peaches and mascarpone cream was also excellent. 2537 N. Kedzie Blvd.
While waiting for your table at Lula Cafe, make sure to stop in at City Lit Books at 2523 N. Kedzie Blvd. This is a popular local bookstore, since 2012, with a good selection of offerings. They also host events, book clubs and a children’s story-time hour. I went to a travel event in the past. I loved supporting local bookstore in Chicago.
A short distance from Lula Cafe is Daisies. Since I went for the first time, they moved in 2023 to a larger location at 2375 N. Milwaukee.
The new space is really excellent and is a much better experience. Their pastas are excellent and easily shareable. I highly recommend the cannelloni made with ricotta cheese, spinach and a rich porcini cream and the stracci lamb sugo with soft herbs and pecorino cheese. Equally good was the strawberry panna cotta with strawberries, shortbread, toasted pepitas and strawberry-basil sorbet. It is very popular so make sure to book your reservation before. Also they are open for coffee and pastries in the morning.
Located at 2043 N. Milwaukee is Stay Cafe. This is a breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant that opened in November 2022. I went for brunch on a Saturday after reading great reviews. They also have a coffee bar and bar featuring cocktails. I was very impressed with their large menu of breakfast sandwiches, benedicts, omelets, pancakes, burgers, sandwiches, salads and wraps. They also have a kid’s menu. I loved my smoked salmon eggs benedict and a side of roasted Yukon potatoes made with pecorino aioli and scallions.
90 Miles Cuban Cafe: A fun, casual spot for good Cuban food just south of Logan Square at 2540 W. Armitage. Dining there is perfect in the summer as there is a large patio for outdoor seating in front and a porch in the rear. The food is very good and the portions large so it is easy to share and try different Cuban specialties. I was just back for lunch and had another great experience!
Margie’s Candies: After Cuban food, walk to 1960 N. Western at Armitage for wonderful home-made ice cream and candy. They have been there since 1921. The perfect décor looks like nothing has changed since it opened!! Expect long lines in the summer months.
One of my top restaurant finds in the neighborhood is Table, Donkey and Stick at 2728 W. Armitage in the former Bon Soiree space. They have a creative menu featuring cheeses and meat boards, small plates and entrees. I enjoyed a wonderful duck liver mousse and smoked whitefish, a wonderful braised rabbit and roasted beats and carrots plus a roasted sea trout.
Don’t miss a wonderful Italian restaurant, Osteria Langhe at 2824 W. Armitage. I enjoyed a prix fixe menu with a great pasta appetizer, pork entree and lovely panna cotta for dessert. I highly recommend it and will definitely go back. They feature a very creative menu of appetizers, pastas and entrees. In in the past it was named one of the top 50 restaurants in Chicago.
Across the street is the new concept, Bar Parisette, opened by Table, Donkey and Stick owner and sommelier Matt Sussman in their former Attagirl space. Opened in June 2924, it is a modern and casual French bistro-style restaurant. It is a great addition to the neighborhood, with a reasonably priced menu, attractive decor, excellent food and attentive staff. They also have happy hour specials. They will soon be doing brunch as well. When I was there, it had several families dining with their children. I enjoyed an excellent veggie burger with fries and my niece loved the traditional moules frites, mussels and fries. 2829 W. Armitage Ave.
Still further west on Armitage are three popular spots. Scofflaw is known for its gin-centric cocktails, craft beers and pub food at 3201 W. Armitage. At 3209, Giant is one of the hot new restaurants in town. They feature Midwestern fare and craft cocktails.
At 2770 N. Milwaukee is Chiya Chai Cafe. I have seen several reviews including it being featured on local television. By day it is a casual Casual Nepalese cafe serving many types of house brewed chai tea plus coffee and dumplings, curries and savory pies. By night the action heads to their colorful Back Room dining room, where you can find larger entrees and cocktails along with table service. I went before a bookstore event nearby and thought the chai tea latte was really good as was the pear cake. I want to go back for dinner! They also have location in downtown Chicago at 79 E Madison and on the River Walk at the Community Marketplace.
Miko’s Italian Ice: Miko’s was featured in Food & Wine Magazine as one of the spots to be added to your Summer Bucket List. This is a fun neighborhood spot for great Italian ice. The peach and mango flavors are perfect for a hot Summer day in the city. 2234 N. Sacramento. Next to Miko’s is Tropicuba, Restaurant & Grocery. Since 1995, it has a small restaurant in back of the store featuring Cuban sandwiches, Cuban entrees and specialties and Cuban cafe con leche. I enjoyed their traditional ropa vieja with rice, black beans and plantains. 3000 W. Lyndale at Sacramento.
Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits: At 2051 N. California, this is a great spot for pie, biscuits and coffee. Enjoy hanging out with the locals inside or outside on their large patio. I was just back and enjoyed a great key lime pie.
A few blocks north is Union restaurant at 2202 N. Calfornia Ave. This is a small, intimate gastropub that is part of Meadowlark Hospitality and listed as a Bib Gourmand in the current Michelin guide. It has a large selection of beers on tap, over 200 whiskeys and a creative food menu. After reading about it, I went with family and enjoyed the experience and food, where I had a great Union old fashioned cocktail, the roasted whitefish entree and the sticky toffee pudding dessert with bourbon ice cream. My niece loved the Union burger with cheese and the pistachio cheesecake.
Union is located next door to Meadowlark’s Lardon restaurant which is known for its charcuterie, sandwiches for lunch and a French-inspired bistro menu in the evening. Around the corner is their company’s casual speakeasy, The Meadowlark which was listed as the number 32 of North America’s 50 Best Bars in 2024. I am excited to go back and try both.
Another new find is Cellar Door Provisions at 3025 W. Diversey Ave. The small restaurant with outdoor patio was closed during the pandemic. It reopened in August, 2022 with a small dinner menu an a focus on natural wine. It has a focus on “Spanish, Italian, and French dishes that incorporate just three or four main ingredients and are meant to pair well with wine.” I am excited to go back again.
On Sundays in the Summer months, don’t miss the Logan Square Farmers Market at Milwaukee and Logan Blvd.
A fun newer part of Logan Square in the emerging strip near Milwaukee and Fullerton. Here you will find Gaslight Coffee Roasters on the corner at 2385 N. Milwaukee for good coffee, tea and pastries and Chicago Distilling Company which produces white whiskey, gin and vodka at 2359 N. Milwaukee. The tasting room is open, while, tours and classes will be available again in the future.
One of my favorite Lincoln Park spots, Webster’s Wine Bar relocated to Logan Square to 2601 N. Milwaukee Ave. They offer a great selection of wines and food. They also offer tastings and special wine events. I recently went back for dinner and enjoyed the experience. On Tuesday and Wednesday nights they have a cheeseburger special for $21 which comes with a cocktail, beer or glass of wine. I loved the burger along with a side order of fries and a great glass of French wine.
One of my favorite restaurants is Mi Tocaya Antojeria, located at 2800 W. Logan Blvd. is a neighborhood Mexican restaurant by Chef Diana Davila. It features a menu of small plates, desserts and cocktails. It has a colorful, casual atmosphere. It was a finalist for the 2018 James Beard Foundation Best New Restaurant and a finalist for Best Chef: Great Lakes for 2023! On first visit, I loved the fish con mole amarillo and the tres leches cake. On my second, I enjoyed the guacamole, the Albondigas or seafood meatballs, the fried oyster tacos and the flan for dessert. Don’t miss the Oaxacan Old Fashioned cocktail made with mezcal, agave and bitters. It was wonderful and got me hooked on mezcal!! It continues to get excellent press and reviews.
For cocktails, Billy Sunday is a fun neighborhood spot for upscale cocktails with vintage spirits and gastropub food. It appropriately named after Billy Sunday, the outspoken Chicago preacher. According to WBEZ, “there was one cause he championed more than the rest: Prohibition. He spoke about the “degrading” influence of alcohol and the saloon as an “appalling source of misery and crime” and a place that “promises happiness and sends misery.” 3143 W. Logan Blvd.
